“Time—it’s time, Mi Ardore.” Don was grim. They laid Sorana on her back. “You can’t touch her.”
Rapture scooted back.
He put his hands over Sorana’s heart. “Sorana, Velsignet …” His hand began to glow blue with a charge of energy. “We never abandoned you.” He shocked her.
Sorana’s body jerked. She weakly coughed some fluid out of her lungs and started breathing on her own.
Don got some water and helped Sorana drink.
Rapture healed Sorana until she was stabilized, then sat back, exhausted. The siren’s tear solution had already relieved the pain of the dagger cut on her tongue. “Don, something feels different. I mean, I feel relief and the joy, but there is something else, like an emptiness.”
Don put the picnic blanket over Sorana and tucked his cloak under her neck. “I feel it, too. We are no longer being compelled.”
“Why would my binding break? Because she was part of it and died?”
“Not your binding—hers. She was compelling us, whether she knew it or not.”
“But then what about mine—ours?”
“Were we ever bound? If we were, when did it fade? Maybe it was just human chemistry. Perhaps we were apart so much that the chemistry never had a chance to fade.”
“Does it have to fade?” Rapture monitored Sorana’s unconscious breathing.
“Usually. There are cases where a couple shares an unrelated bond and they credit each other for the passion, and that can lead to a lasting erotic bond.”
“Like what?”
“Well, it can be anything—usually something that is rare and socially isolating.”
“I don’t understand.”
Don took her hand. “Mi Ardore, it is freedom. It means that what we’ve always known to be true actually is. It means that we don’t know what dreams may come.” Don stroked her hand delicately. He pulled the Ring of Uncreation off his finger and offered it to Rapture. “We now have the choice to spend the rest of our lives together. Binding or bonding, or simple fading chemistry, I want to be with you forever, if you would marry me.”
“I …” I can’t give you children. I don’t know if I can love forever without the binding. I have no family or home to offer. The mental fog cleared as everything in her life suddenly made sense. “Yes, of course, yes.”
Chapter 80
End of an Epoch
“It just seems strange—no casket.” Finnur wiped his forehead and sat heavily, a step away from Mercy’s grave.
“It’s what she wanted.” Visor collected some of the digging tools, picking up one awkwardly in his left hand with the two missing fingers. “In the forge ground.”
“With the smell from the stable.” Ranie smacked her pants to knock off dirt. “Three hundred years old?”
Visor said, “Give or take.”
Rapture said, “So, is Sorana the same? I mean, you know …”
“No, Sorana is biologically programmed for a long life. The difference is that the Frame was trying to retrofit Mercy Bathony, a regular human body programmed for a normal life span. It just couldn’t make her body work any longer.”
Mystique squealed and snorted from the adjoining stable.
Finnur asked, “Should we say some words?”
Ranie asked, “Without Sorana?”
“She didn’t want to be here.” Visor sat at the foot of the grave mound. “I wouldn’t know what to say, anyway. Mercy did some good things and some things not so good. She was just a woman, a person, like the rest of us, trying to do the best she could. It was just beyond her ability.”
Rapture kneeled behind Visor and leaned against him.
Visor said, “But at least she recognized she needed help. I wasn’t the first she tried. For her to hold out so long with the weight she carried was by itself something to be admired. I can’t help but wonder if I will follow in her footsteps. Will I be buried here someday?”
Ranie took a seat next to Finnur, watching Visor attentively.
Visor said, “Who knows what path Mercy’s life would have taken had she remained Baroness Bathony rather than becoming part of the Frame. She faced the Banshee as a human, then as a machine, then as a mother. Her life was consumed in that struggle. In the end, she did what she had to do.”
Finnur asked, “I still don’t understand why you couldn’t trust her. You were doing what she wanted. Oh, I’m sorry, were you done? I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No, everyone can talk—whatever’s on your mind.” Visor said, “You have to realize that she had the two completely different sides of her personality—the human, Bathony, and the Frame.”
“But …” Rapture struggled for words.
Visor held up his hands. “Okay, let’s start at the beginning. Well, not the beginning, but before Sorana. Some time ago, a long time ago, Belial escaped from the Frame and possessed the oracle Maciate. The Frame wants to retrieve him. Belial wants to return, but on his own terms. See, the Frame wants to scan him in, and he wants to jump in. To scan him, she’d have to get him inside with his ability to jump disabled. To jump in, he’d have to disable the Frame’s defenses from access ports on the exterior of the tower.”
Ranie said, “They are in a stalemate.”
Visor said, “It is virtually impossible for the Frame to capture Belial. The Catalyst allows him to create cyborgs. They’re enhanced guards that are under his control and in constant contact. They can blend into society, always on the lookout. They destroy or warn him of any threat, and in a pinch, he can transfer his consciousness to any of them.”
Ranie said, “And then back later, as long as one else took control of the Catalyst.”
“Conversely, it is virtually impossible for Belial to breech the tower. He doesn’t know where it is, and it is protected by electronic fields that detect and deter cyborgs. The Frame also has wardens that patrol the surrounding forest. They’re not enhanced like cyborgs, but they are well trained and armed with weapons that are specifically designed to disable cyborg enhancements.”
Ranie said, “Her field agents keep him on the defensive.”
Visor said, “In Dodelige terms, this was the Proxy War.”
Finnur hung his head. “I should never have doubted you, Rainaria. I am sorry for any additional stress I caused trying to get you to focus elsewhere.”
“I know you meant well, dad.”
Visor said, “Generations passed. Belial jumped to new bodies. Cyborgs were created and destroyed.”
Ranie said, “Drones.”
Visor said, “Proxy-wardens were killed and reincarnated.”
Ranie said, “Proxies are the original inhabitants of the Tower of Mercy.”
Visor said, “At some point, Belial realized he needed a new weapon. He developed a method of enhanced biological reproduction. While possessing Thyestes, he seeded Sasindara to create a Spawness. As biological variance would have it, he got two spawnesses for the price of one.”
Ranie said, “Sorana and Europhette. And there were others.”
“He at least impregnated Mercy to create Uriel.”
Ranie said, “He built in a link to his spawns.”
“Belial used that link to jump to Uriel when Thyestes was captured by Liesen.”
Ranie said, “And after Uriel was captured, he tried to jump to Sorana.”
Finnur said, “And thus began the Age of the Mortal Banshee.”
Rapture asked, “Did he make her do all those things?”
Visor said, “Well, she resisted his influence.”
“His link to the twins wasn’t complete. But he ….” Ranie hid her face.
Finner put a supportive arm around Ranie. “The distant mother didn’t help.”
“Mercy was always torn between Belial and Sorana. The Frame wanted to save Belial. Bathony wanted to protect Sorana and herself.” Visor said, “Bathony used Sorana as a sort of black ops warden.
She had to prevent Belial from detecting and possessing her. The Frame used a combination of electrical and chemical therapy to suppress Belial’s link. She could even erase engrams—Sorana’s memory—as necessary.”
Ranie said, “As necessary to manipulate her.”
“That was the warm and loving Mercy we knew.” Rapture looked at the grave. “I’ll stop now.”
Visor said, “To capture Belial, I had to set up the situation where Sorana believed she was just outside the tower, while she was actually inside. And I had to get her into a state that was vulnerable to Belial’s link.”
Finnur asked, “Why didn’t you scan him as soon as he was in the tower?”
“It would have destroyed Sorana—taken all of her memories and mixed them up with Maciate’s. Also, I wasn’t sure what would happen once he was inside the Fragment. He did escape once before.”
Finnur asked, “Then once he realized he was inside the Tower, why wouldn’t he jump back to Uriel?”
“He tried. But once it looked like he’d finished jumping to Sorana, I used the tower to suppress any external links. Also, I had Europhette destroy Uriel.”
Rapture asked, “Why would she help us?”
Visor said, “I’ve been working predictions for her. And I’m pretty sure she was helping Sorana, not us. Anyway, to give Europhette a little more time, I had to let Belial attack you.”
“Oh, you let him?”
“I knew you’d be fine.
Finnur asked, “How did he attack her?”
Visor said, “He tried to jump to her. Basically, he tried to mentally dominate Rap’s personality and transfer his consciousness to her. It was the safest place to be.”
“My head is safe?”
“Of course. Who’s going to scan a siren?”
Ranie said, “Mercy, if it got her what she wanted.”
Visor said, “Look, she wasn’t evil. Of course, she wasn’t good either.”
“Morally void is evil.”
“Only if she had the capacity for choice. Bathony wasn’t actually making choices after the Frame implanted the conjoin.”
“None of us are really making our own choices.”
“So your premise is that there is no difference between being controlled by the universe at large and being controlled by a single entity?”
“Don’t you try to bait me.”
Finnur waved a hand. “Hey, kids. Maybe now isn’t the time?”
Visor said, “I am in control of the tower now. I’m linked to the proxies. I have access to all the information she did.” He looked at Ranie. “By the way, it was Nero.”
“Of course.” Ranie punched the dirt. “The Anti-siren.”
Rapture said, “Okay, whatever.”
Finnur said, “You two have lost us again.”
Visor said, “Nero is the one that tried to have Sister Mary killed.”
Finnur said, “We have to let the sheriff know.”
Visor said, “We will take care of it in due time. She’s safe for the time being.”
“You say that like you know it.”
“I do. Gwendolyn is one of the proxies. She’s aware of the situation and watching over Mary.”
Finnur said, “So Belial was trapped inside Sorana, inside the tower. Then what?”
Visor said, “He jumped to Evan’s brain.”
Ranie said, “Visor let Belial onto the tower network. I was on the network and telepathically linked to Evan. We’d burned a partial copy of the Fragment to Evan’s brain.”
Visor said, “In haste, Belial thought Evan was a remote access point to the Fragment, so he jumped.”
Finnur said, “So, you were in control of the tower’s electric fields at that point. You killed Sorana to push him out. That must have been difficult.”
Visor said, “Yes, it was”
Rapture grimaced. “It hurt so much.”
Finnur said, “If you weren’t able to revive her, she would be dead.”
Visor said, “And I would be a killer.”
“Some might read this as your sacrificing Sorana to save your sister. Am I getting the details right?”
Ranie said, “It was a calculated risk, not a sacrifice.”
Visor said, “Just write it as you see it, and people can make up their own minds. If they think I was wrong, then maybe I was.”
Rapture patted his back. “It’s okay. It turned out okay.”
Finnur said, “So, after he jumped into Evan’s brain?”
Ranie said, “I severed our connection to the tower. At that point, he was trapped within Evan’s empty mind. In essence, he only existed as a figment of my imagination. Then, when the time was right, I destroyed him.”
Chapter 81
Transcendence
“And your Sparkling Angel of Gray.” The holographic image of the Uncreation Spawness on the muddy hill faded. The screens of the Tower’s map room darkened. A wall panel opened.
Ranie removed the beautiful Ring of Uncreation from the mechanical finger in the wall. She stroked it adoringly before handing it to Sorana. “And that is Wescott’s prediction of Uncreation.”
Sorana sat on the rug. “Who is Mettleheart?”
“We don’t know. We have been looking. It was the verbiage of Uncreation that set me on the path to research Spawness … you. You have a good soul. As long as people don’t know that, there is a great injustice in the world. The Paragon has twisted history to suit their own ends—their hunger for power and control.”
“So?”
“So, it was the Paragon that fed you to Maciate … that researches mass infanticide.”
Finnur stood behind them. “We don’t know that they mean any harm with the research.”
“Okay!” Ranie bowed her head in capitulation. “But the Paragon is a stain on humanity. They are the ones that pitted Pale Siren against Mortal Banshee. They quash anyone who doesn’t bow to their authority. They keep Raykez out of the war. We could set things right.”
Sorana said, “I don’t want to kill more people.”
“Oh, no, no, no—I don’t mean that at all. I’m not talking about vengeance. I’m talking about setting things right. They pitted us against each other for a reason. Don’t you think the Paragon has oracles working for them? I would bet there are predictions in which one or both of us defeated them—I mean their organization. All we have to do is stand together. Think about it: if Pale Siren and Mortal Banshee stood together before the world, before Raykez and God, we would be invincible. The Paragon would dissolve without a fight. They would simply cease to exist. All of their deception and manipulation would come to an end.”
“Then what will become of me?”
“Whatever you want. I created the Dodelige in your name. Make it whatever you want. With the Paragon destroyed, it could take on a role as a watchdog for religious organizations. It could become a women’s shelter. Maybe it could be an embassy.”
Finnur said, “I don’t have any easy answers for you, but I would like the opportunity to help you. I have studied cases similar to—with some similarities to, rather—your case. I believe that, given time, we could develop a program that you would benefit from.”
Ranie said, “I don’t know what you’re looking for, but the point is that you won’t be alone. You could even stay with me if you like. I don’t mean to be push. I know you’ve had enough of that. But have you considered our bond? We’re part of the same story. And we loved the same man. And we were left by that same man for the same woman. We’ve faced the same demon. We want the same things.”
“And after that is done? Then what? You will grow old and die, your destiny fulfilled. I will not. What is my destiny after forever? Shall I live long enough to see the end of wars? Long enough for all friends to abandon me? Am I destined to awaken screaming in the night for loves lost? To become ever more callus as my world dies screaming? For centuries, I h
ave been bound to this tower. Now, with only hours remaining, I only wish the Banshee had taken me—given me the end I rightfully earned. This is not my time. This is not my world. I should have known this was all a lie.”
Ranie said, “Not all of it.”
“Most of it.”
Finnur asked, “Where do you feel you belong?”
Ranie said, “She’s going to see the vampire queen.”
Sorana said, “She is the only one who can possibly understand.”
Ranie said, “No, I understand. I promise you I understand. You are ageless, but you are not invincible. You need protection, too. I can do that. I swear to you. I will be your friend throughout my years. Should you scream in dreams, I will enter to fight your fears. Every tear you cascaded will return to haunt the perpetrators. Let them send forth their greatest guardians, and we will crush them all. We will grind their bodies to pulp and shred their souls with the barbed chains of—”
“Rainaria!” Finnur put his hands on her shoulders. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry. It’s just … Spawness. After all … she is Spawness.”
“You’re channeling her. Be careful.”
Ranie realized she was cradling Sorana’s face. And Sorana’s thoughts were still pouring in:
We will unearth their rotting corpses to dissect their diseased hearts. We will salt the earth and desecrate their undeserved rest. Their putrid souls will rot in—
Ranie jerked her hands back.
Sorana’s demeanor was brooding and introverted, as usual. But her usual demeanor did not indicate the depths of jadedness to which mind wandered. Did she always swim in deranged fantasies of retribution as reality transpired around her?
Finnur said, “The queen does share your ageless biology—a rare trait, to be sure. That tends to draw people together.”
“She’s my sister.”
“And she is your sister. We are biologically predisposed to trust and protect family, particularly close relatives, such as sisters. But one common trait among people is to expect too much from those we hold close. Sometimes, a professional can provide a more … thought-out direction. I would encourage you to consider visiting the University of Raykez. We have a department dedicated to the study and treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I know Doctor Jansen. He is committed to his work and would not hesitate to take on your case.” Finnur paced. “You see, when we humans, and I imagine half vardal, experience something that is too painful, too shameful to comprehend, we repress it. It is removed from our consciousness. But the imprint of the experience remains, and can affect your outlook on life. We have the resources to help you.”